Suggestions for Itinerary/Sightseeing Newfoundland Trip
 

Our trip is planned for September (2 weeks) We arrive via ferry in Argentia September 16. 3 nights in St. John's Cantwell House. On to Port Rexton in Bonavista area for 3 nights at Fisher's Loft. Then to Twillingate 1 night Crewe's B&B, next day to tour Fogo Island and stay on Change Island at Seven Oaks Inn. Then on to Springdale 2 nights at Riverwood Inn. Then on to Gros Morne 2 nights in Rocky Harbour at Mountain Range Cottages. Then to Cape St. George 1 night at inn at the Cape. Next day sightseeing around Cape and then drive to PAB - overnight at hotel to catch ferry to North Sydney,

So, question is: Can anyone who is very familiar with Newfoundland give us suggestions as to what we absolutely must see in these areas. Our itinerary is firm because we have already booked all of our accommodations (hopefully they are all good), so we are just looking for suggestions on what we can see in each area for the time we have allotted there.

Would really appreciate any and all input. thanks a bunch. We are very much looking forward to our first trip to the Maritimes and particularly Newfoundland. It will be great to see this part of our country.

There is a wonderful boat tour on the Western Brook Pond just north of the Gros Morn National Park. I took it a few years ago and enjoyed it.
L'anse aux Meadows and the Viking encampment at the far northern tip is well worth the journey.

What do you enjoy doing on holiday? HIking? Kayaking? Museums? Music & theatre? Viewing scenery? Trying new restaurants? Just kicking back?
All of these would be possible with your plans, but which would appeal to you? Give us a hint, and we'll have a few suggestions.
The Western Brook boat tour is very scenic, but L'anse aux Meadows (while interesting) is about 3 1/2 hours each way, from Rocky Harbour.

I'm certainly not "very familiar" with Newfoundland, but I did just return from my first trip trip there. I spent most of my trip hiking and otherwise enjoying natural scenery. I'll try to put together a separate trip report, but here are a few thoughts for now, while we're waiting to learn about your specific preferences:

At Gros Morne, I did the Western Brook Pond tour that GimmeADream mentioned, and I highly recommend it. You should make a reservation in advance -- they won't take a credit card number, and there's no obligation. There will be plenty of space available now, but the boats may fill up in the days just before the tour, as people switch their reservations around to try to go out on a sunny day. The cost is 52 dollars per person, for a two-hour-and-ten-minute tour. The tour is operated by Bontours (http://www.bontours.ca/). Their web site is currently down, but you can also call them at (888) 458-2016 or (709) 458-2016. To get to the boat dock, you'll need to hike ~45 minutes on the Western Brook Trail, which is itself quite nice. It's an easy hike. The trail is flat, and much of it is actually a wooden boardwalk.

While at Gros Morne, make sure you hike the Tablelands trail. It's really more of a stroll than a trail. It's short, and almost flat, and most of it is a gravel road. There were even people in wheelchairs doing it. The scenery is spectacular.

A good evening activity in Rocky Harbour is pub night at the Ocean View Hotel, featuring Anchors Aweigh. Anchors Aweigh is a band that performs Newfoundland music, interspersed with lots of jokes (some of which are rather coarse -- don't bring the kids to this one). The lead singer is Wayne Parsons, a local entrepreneur who I think actually owns Bontours, and maybe the Ocean View hotel as well. They currently are performing Monday, Wednesday, and Friday nights at 8 o'clock, but they may or may not still be performing at all in September. Tickets are 20 dollars, and you may want to buy them earlier on the day of the show to be assured entry. Tables are first-come, first-served. http://www.anchorsaweigh.ca/ The food at the Ocean View is reportedly very bad, so eat dinner first at nearby Treasure Box or Java Jack's, and just have a few Quidi Vidis at the show.

On the Bonavista Peninsula, I really enjoyed the tour of the Random Passage Site: http://www.randompassagesite.com/ Also, the Skerwink Trail was a fantastic hike, and it goes right by Fisher's Loft. This one is more of a real hiking trail, with a few ups and downs, but nothing too serious. It takes 2-2.5 hours to complete, excluding the two spur trails.

Here are a few suggestions:

The Fisher's Loft is a wonderful place to stay. Right in front of it, you can join the Skerwink Trail which is a spectacular hiking trail. It's a circular trail of about 5km, with a few steep sections, but the views are magnificent. You can get a trail map at the Inn.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio..._Labrador.html

In Trinity, you will be too late in the season for the Pageant, but the Rising Tide Theatre will be in its fall season. Try to take in one of their productions.

http://www.risingtidetheatre.com/

A bit south of Trinity just outside the town of New Bonaventure is the film set for the mini-series Random Passage. It's a 19th C outport and is absolutely fascinating, even if you haven't seen the film. Better still, buy or rent the series and watch it before you go, or at least read the book.

http://www.randompassagesite.com/

You can combine your visit to New Bonaventure with a boat tour with Rugged Beauty Boat Tours. In our visits to Newfoundland this was one of the highlights. The guide, Bruce Miller, is very engaging and has a wealth of information about the area, particularly the abandoned outports which you will visit.

http://ruggedbeautyboattours.net/

In Twillingate, you will be too late for icebergs, but there still may be some whales around. There are some nice hiking trails in the area and a map is available. I don't know if the singing group "The Split Peas" will be doing their "Toutons and Tea" show in September, but if so, you shouldn't miss it. The seafood at the Harbour View Restaurant was the best we had anywhere in Newfoundland--we dined there three times in two days!

In Gros Morne Park, the Western Brook Pond boat tour is certainly not to be missed. There are many hikes, but one of the easiest and most interesting is the Tablelands Trail in the southern part of the park. From there you might continue to Trout River--the Seaside Restaurant on the bay is quite good. In Rocky Harbour try to hear the Anchors Aweigh band at the Anchor Pub. They're lots of fun.

I hope these are of some help.

I didn't see hawksbill's post before I posted, but obviously we are of the same mind!

Another good place to dine in the park is The Old Loft in Woody Point--the village is also worth a visit.

Laverendrye, we do seem to enjoy a lot of the same things! The Old Loft in Woody Point was recommended to me, but I never managed to try it. On that side of Gros Morne, I also got a strong recommendation for the seafood at Seaside Restaurant in Trout River (http://www.grosmorne.com/victorianmanor/seaside.htm), but I didn't have time to go there either.

Hey, thank you all for such great responses and information. We are already reserved for the Western Brook boat tour. Thanks for the heads up on the trails to hike and the recommends in Bonavista. VERY interested in the music! And will definitely check out the websites to see if we can get to hear some while we are there. Again, thanks so much for the help with our plans. We will definitely check out all that you have suggested.

Sorry, I should also mention that we enjoy hiking, cyclying (although we doubt we will do any in Nfld as we will be cycling for 2 weeks in PEI before we get there). Would love to enjoy some local theatre and music as well as see some whales if we can. Read somewhere about the Lighthouse picnics in Ferryland so will check that out too. The drive to L'anse aux Meadows may be too long for the short time we are in Gros Morne so we may just concentrate on things closer.

You've already gotten some great advice. There are a couple of things that I want to add. If it's a nice day, I would recommend making sure that you have enough daylight to drive from Cape St. George to Port aux Basques. The Codroy Valley is quite beautiful and it would be a shame to drive through there at night.

In the St. John's area, Cape Spear (the most Easterly point in North America) is lovely and worth the drive on a clear day. Of course, there's Signal Hill, which you can see from all over the city and from the top of which you get a lovely panoramic view of the city. (There are also trails around Signal Hill.) The Rooms is a new museum that's worth visiting. There's also a really interesting Geology museum (conveniently located on the way up Signal Hill).

For music in St. John's, there's always the famous (infamous) George Street. When I lived in Newfoundland, though, one of my favourites was always Erin's Pub (on Water Street). As one review on Yelp put it, Erin's has a "Casual, almost dive-y ambience, but compared to the "plastic Paddy" pseudo-Irish bars common in other cities, the homey authenticity beats a bunch of just-installed polished mahogany." Now, I moved from Newfoundland several years ago but I believe Erin's still has live, traditional music most nights of the week.

One final thing to be aware of; in general, it's best to do most of your driving in Newfoundland during daylight hours, if at all possible - and not just because of the scenery. Moose are particularly plentiful in Newfoundland and can be very difficult to spot at night.

Thanks Vic4ia - we will be driving to PAB during daylight hours so will enjoy the scenery. Also, thanks for the heads up on the moose. We have read several places to not drive at night because of the moose -- so hopefully we will not see any "close up" if you know what I mean. Will look for the music in St. John's. Apparently we will miss Anchors Aweigh in Rocky Harbour (by one day!) so will look for some live music elsewhere.
again, thanks for the tips. We really appreciate the input.

You have a lot of good advice here. Definitely try to avoid night driving--honestly, all of the island is "not to drive at night because of the moose".

In St. John's, Signal Hill is a must for the views, and the Geocentre is interesting even if geology isn't your "thing". The Rooms are worth a visit if you like history--this building has the provincial museum and art gallery. The Ship Inn has live performers--it's the best known "artsy" pub.

The suggestions for Bonavista/TRinity are great--the Dungeons (sea caves) and lighthouse in Bonavista are also beautiful spots.

Don't really know what to suggest for Springdale, which is not really a popular tourist stop. King's Point, just north, is a pretty place with a local pottery--but I'm stretching here. Hey, maybe you can drive to Nicky's Nose Cove and take a picture of the sign,lol.

Enjoy. September is usually decent weather here (now don't think that means over 20C!) with plenty of sunshine, but I hesitate to make promises, since we're having the rainiest spring/summer in 40 years. Anyway, I guarantee everything will be green.

Thanks Nfldbeothuk - will check out spots you have mentioned. Don't know anything about Springdale other than we have opted to stop over there rather than drive too far in one day. We thought perhaps we could drive up to Baie Verte -- anything there? Is it worth the drive? I hope the weather is sunny, but we will (hopefully) be prepared for whatever comes, short of a hurricane.
Do you have any comments on the ferry from N. Sydney to Argentia? I have been reading lately of great departure delays and mechanical failures. I haven't been on a ferry for any length of time before and certainly not an over-nighter, so have some unease. Will it be more likely late than departing on time?

Hi--just got back from 5 days visiting family on the west coast--of the island, that is.
In Springdale, I'd look into going towards Robert's Arm/Triton over the Baie Verte peninsula, as Baie Verte has much more "empty space" to cover. Or maybe take a ferry to Little Bay Island or Long Island (schedules here:
http://www.tw.gov.nl.ca/ferryservice...les/index.html

I'd like to be positive about the NL-NS ferry, but I just glanced at their web site, and see that 3/8 of the arrivals & departures are delayed. These ferries are very weather-dependent--and high winds can easily cause delays. The bright side is that you're not travelling during peak season, so a delay in an earlier crossing won't result in reassigned travellers impacting your reservation.

Thanks nfldbeothuk. Will look into the Little Bay island or Long Island ferries. That sounds good. I won't fret over the ferry delays from NS. What will be will be.

louisag60,

I hope you are ok. I'm assuming from your dates that you were affected by Hurricane Igor in one way or another. Hopefully you got out of Port Rexton before the roads washed away.

Take care,
Jill